Work Upgrade: 10 New Year’s Resolutions To Make At Your Job In 2018

The dawn of a new year is always a great excuse to hit the reset button and get a fresh start. Though most of us think of New Year’s resolutions as speaking more to personal habits (ditching vices, getting in shape, finding healthier relationships), it is also a great time to look at your professional life and make some changes for the better. Whether you’re over-the-moon happy with your current gig or toying with finding something, January 2018 is the month to set goals and re-prioritize to line yourself up for success. Everyone’s career goals may be different, but we have some suggestions on areas to improve to enrich your job in 2018.

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Let Bygones, Be Bygones

If Sarah from accounting has been getting on your nerves since jump at your job, it would be ridiculous to think that come January 1, you could suddenly put all your resentment or frustration in the rear-view mirror. However, the new year, does in fact, feel like a fresh start so maybe consider altering your relationship a bit. If one incident pushed you over the edge with Sarah from accounting, consider giving her a slight pass on that. If one of her habits drives you nutty, consider talking to her about it. As difficult as it can be to extend an olive branch to a work frenemy, you’ll be a lot happier with a more peaceful work environment that you are in a constant field of passive-aggressive landmines.

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Revisit Your Professional Goals

Take some time and think about what it is you really want out of your current job and career as a whole. Ask the tough questions: Are you happy? Will this job move you closer to your professional goals? Is there room for advancement in the months and years to come? Whatever your answers may be, it’s important to ask yourself these questions and to honestly assess where you are. If the answers don’t put you on a path to success, then it might be time to consider a change.

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Check In With Your Supervisor

Been wanting to chat with your supervisor about your overall work performance, things you can improve on and your future professional prospects? The start of a new year might give you the perfect excuse to do just that. Consider setting up a “New Year Check-In” meeting sometime in late-January or early February to touch base with your boss. This will give them enough time to collect themselves after the holiday, but still will allow you to get into their office early enough in the year to really make a difference.

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Break Bad Habits

We all have them. From strolling in a healthy 15-20 minutes late a little too frequently or taking that longer lunch to go to the gym, we all have a tendency to push the envelope when it comes to what we can get away with without our bosses noticing. But take January as a time to kick some of those bad habits. We’ll be honest, kicking all of your bad habits and expecting that to last throughout 2018 might be a stretch, but if you’re able to at least break one or two, that will be a huge win.

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Get Organized

One of our biggest pieces of new year’s work advice comes down to just getting organized. From introducing new ways to keep your calendar updated to finding the best ways to take notes during a meeting, implementing small tactics to keep yourself together and organized at work can make all the difference and set you up for success.

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Vow To Learn Something New

Now this is a big one. Many jobs will offer employees the opportunity to take classes or go back to school at the company’s expense. Some jobs will pay outright, while others will offer tuition reimbursement. And while many of us will say, “oh, that’s a really nice benefit” and never actually take advantage of it, we encourage you to take advantage of it this year. Whether you opt for more technical training or consider going back to get an advanced degree, you’d be remiss not to utilize essentially free money from your employer. Not only will it help with your current gig, but can set you up to move up the professional ladder elsewhere as well.

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Foster More Collaboration

Sometimes it’s so easy to get siloed in your individual department and let collaboration with other teams fall a bit by the wayside. But in 2018, consider expanding your professional horizons by reaching out to other team members to work on larger projects. Not only will it be good to expand your professional network by working with those outside your immediate office, but your boss will definitely give you some major kudos for taking such initiative. Just make sure you keep them in the loops so they can feel as if they’re still guiding the ship.

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Out With The Old … Desk

There is no doubt that when it comes to celebrating a new year, one of our favorite things to do is cleaning. Yes, cleaning. Whether in our house or in our car, we love taking January as the perfect time to fully embrace out with the old, in with the new. And we love extending that mantra to the office as well. In the days following your epic NYE partying, when you might not be totally back into the work groove, take the opportunity to clean your desk. Wipe it down, throw things out and get ready to dominate the year ahead.

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Find The Perfect Work-Life Balance

This is definitely a tall order, but take the dawn of a new year as the perfect time to size up your work-life balance. Depending on the industry you’re in, it can be difficult to find that ideal balance between time spent in the office and free time. But as much as it may seem like a great idea to completely devote yourself to your career, trust us when we say it’s important to carve out some “you” time. Without some semblance of a balance, career burnout is a real possibility, so striking this happy medium is really vital.

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Vow To Strive

And last but certainly not least, vow to strive. After a 2017 that you worked your butt off during, look at 2018 as the year when all that hard work and sacrifice pays off. Don’t be bashful about setting your sights on the title and salary you want and doing whatever it takes to achieve that.